The standard Chrysler 360 measurement is a 4″ bore coupled with a 3.58″ stroke. It wasn’t a bad mill out of the box, but when you compare it to the 340, an engine with a reputation for getting wild, the 360 was downright tame by comparison, especially with images of T/A Challengers and AAR ‘Cudas still fresh in people’s minds. But what if you square up the dimensions, throw in a four-inch stroke crankshaft and while you’re digging through the guts of the LA small-block, you go ahead and punch out the bores just a bit? Couple some time at the machine shop with a set of heads that’ll breathe properly, like Chrysler’s W-2 head or an aftermarket set, and you’ve got a monster on your hands. The 408 Stroker is a combination known for putting stump-pulling power to the ground without resorting to the big-block route, and the beauty of the build is that you can find useable blocks all over the place. Whether you located an old work van, a Ram that blew it’s fifth transmission or you’ve got a 1977 Cordoba that needed to have it’s nuts reattached back at the factory, the work is simple. There’s minimal machine work needed to make the crank fit and if you get it right…well, here is a selection of sound bites that will convince you that this is the way to go when going Mopar. We’ve seen these engines pass the 600 horsepower mark with straightforward build plans…imagine that in a featherweight Duster!
